The present invention relates to a single-type array optical conversion apparatus and, more particularly, to a single-type array optical conversion apparatus used in optical fiber communication.
FIG. 5 shows the arrangement of a conventional optical conversion apparatus shown in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-204213. As shown in FIG. 5, this conventional optical conversion apparatus is constituted by a plurality of demultiplexers 24, a plurality of multiplexers 25, and an optical switch element array 21. The demultiplexers 24 demultiplex input light 26 from a plurality of waveguides to an optical fiber array 23. The multiplexers 25 multiplex output light 27, which is output through the optical fiber array 23, to a plurality of waveguides. The optical switch element array 21 receives the input light and makes output light emerge. In this arrangement, the plurality of waveguides connected to the input portions of the optical fibers correspond to the plurality of waveguides connected to the output portions of the optical fibers in one-to-one correspondence, and the optical paths are switched by the optical switch element array 21 in one-to-one correspondence.
The conventional optical conversion apparatus described above has the following problems.
The first problem is as follows. In the conventional optical conversion apparatus, although the optical paths from the input side to the output side can be switched in one-to-one correspondence, light which is input from one channel cannot be output to a plurality of channels on the output side simultaneously. This is because the input and output channels of the conventional optical conversion apparatus merely correspond to each other in one-to-one correspondence and a switching operation to connect one input channel to a plurality of output channels cannot be performed.
The second problem is as follows. In conventional optical conversion, when a light-receiving unit array is connected to the output side to measure the quantum efficiency, light sources corresponding in number to the channels must be arranged on the input side. If the number of light sources is one, the optical connector must be attached/detached every time the optical path is to be switched, or the path must be switched, leading to poor operability. This is because the input and output channels of the conventional optical conversion apparatus merely correspond to each other in one-to-one correspondence and a switching operation to connect one input channel to a plurality of output channels cannot be performed.
The third problem is as follows. In the conventional optical conversion apparatus, since variations occur in connection loss upon attaching/detaching the optical connector, the output is unstable. This is because, regarding the single-type connector loss on the input side, every time the output channel is switched, the loss caused by attachment/detachment of the optical connector varies.